Use code to make your own Minecraft game or learn the basics of computer coding by moving characters through a Minecraft world with these Hour of Code activities. These two activities teach and reinforce coding skills through the familiar Minecraft game. After watching a video introduction, users follow instructions to place code to move characters within the game.

In the Classroom

Make coding part of science inquiry or math logic in any classroom. Include it as part of scientific method or discussions about careers in science. You may even want to portray coding as just another "world language" in today's world. Be sure to look at all the implementation advice before introducing these extensive coding resources to your class. It would be wise to complete the Hour of Code yourself, so you will feel comfortable helping students if they get stuck. Better yet, invite a few students to do an hour with you after school and learn together! You will have a team of "techsperts" to help their peers. Plan an hour of Code on nationally designated days or on your own calendar! Invite the PTA/PTO to host a coding event. Select a video from this site to use to introduce Computer Science to your students. If you only have a few computers, introduce this tool using a projector or interactive whiteboard and bookmark it as a learning station with earbuds/headphones. Encourage students to help each other when they have difficulty. Share this on your website for students to use at home, too.

Would you like to clean up your online presence? Perhaps you want to know what you signed up for in the past. deseat.me uses your Google email address to find websites you have signed up for and then offers the option to delete or unsubscribe.

In the Classroom

Include deseat.me with any lessons on cyber safety. Share how the site works on a projector or with an interactive whiteboard as part of your discussions about online safety. Be sure to think carefully about the account you use and preview before sharing with students. After considering the number of sites typical Internet users may have, ask students to research other ways to improve their online presence. At the end of your cyber safety unit have students make a multimedia presentation with online safety suggestions using Genial.ly, reviewed here.

TryIt is a curation site for STEM learning experiences. Similar to Pinterest, educators choose and create collections of videos, tools, and events. Students build collections of scholarships, internships, and available learning opportunities. Browse by selecting categories or experiences. Register using email to create and curate your collections. The videos on this site reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Freemake Video Converter, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Bookmark TryIt for reference when teaching any STEM-based lesson. Curate collections based on topics you teach. Create and share collections for student use with resources and activities. Suggest that older students create their own account to gather information on scholarships and internships of interest. Collaborate with fellow educators to create collections for lesson planning.

CSS References is a visual guide to CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). CSS describes how HTML elements display on a screen. Choose from within the guide to view by collections including animation, backgrounds, and typography. Use the search bar to locate any of 129 properties, or scroll through the list to find your desired content. Each item includes images and descriptions using the correct HTML code.

In the Classroom

Bookmark CSS References on classroom computers for use in computer coding lessons. Be sure to include a link on your class website for students to access from home. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos using Screencastify (Chrome app), reviewed here,
demonstrating different techniques. Share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.

Coding and Game Design presents the big ideas to gain understanding and begin using coding skills. Participants learn through three quests sharing inspiration from modern innovators, learn how to build and troubleshoot games, and start a coding project. Following the quests, you expand knowledge through Game Design Gold activities that teach Scratch coding and animation. Following completion of all activities, take a quiz to earn a badge or certificate of completion.

In the Classroom

Assign Coding and Game Design as part of a flipped classroom activity. Share interesting or more challenging portions on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector to problem solve together. Share this site with students interested in learning to code beyond what is available in your curriculum. Use this site with an after-school computer club. Be sure to check out the Teacher Guide found on the website for complete information on using this site in the classroom.

Defend a company from online cyber attacks with this interactive that includes four major components. Play the interactive to learn about coding skills, basics of secure passwords, identifying scam information, and defending against cyber attacks. As you play, meet cyber-experts and learn about a day in their life. Take quizzes to find out how codes protect online information and the motivation behind hackers and hacking of online information. Cybersecurity Lab also includes an extensive teacher's resource section with lesson plans aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, tips for using the site, and a glossary of cyber terms.

In the Classroom

Share Cybersecurity Lab with students on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector, then allow them to play on their own. Include this site as part of your Digital Learning Day activities or as part of any online safety lessons. Use a tool like Dotstorming, reviewed here, for students to post observations and questions. Share a link to this site on your class website or newsletter for parents to share and discuss at home.

This archived Twitter chat is from June 2017. View this archive to learn tips and tools to use when teaching STEM. Learn what STEM means (also referred to as STEAM). Browse the strategies offered by the chat moderators and participants.

In the Classroom

Do you teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)? Check out this archived chat for tools and tips to use in your classroom. Share this tool with your colleagues interested in learning more tips and tools to use in STEM lessons.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from August 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. Would you like to hack your classroom and gain more instructional time with your students? Come learn tricks and tips for using Microsoft Office online more efficiently so that you can hack your classroom, save time, and gain more time to spend on what matters the most- your students! Participants will: 1. Explore Microsoft tools that can be used to create interactive lessons; 2. Learn to use Microsoft tools to simplify creating presentations; and 3. Convert handouts to digitally editable files. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. Learn how to infuse Computational Thinking into your classroom activities across all core content areas. Computational Thinking prepares students to understand how to use today's digital tools to help solve tomorrow's problems. Most teachers are already teaching elements of Computational Thinking without knowing it. This workshop will help participants understand the fundamental tenets of Computational Thinking, most notably, how Computational Thinking combines critical thinking skills with the power of computing to make decisions or find solutions. Participants will learn strategies to incorporate computational thinking into classroom activities, brainstorm ideas with other educators for using those strategies in their content area, and begin planning a lesson. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels. As a result of this session teachers will: 1. Learn the fundamentals of Computational Thinking; 2. Explore activities and resources that promote Computational Thinking; and 3. Plan for the use of Computational Thinking in the classroom.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. G Suite is a powerful digital ecosystem that is revolutionizing classroom instruction and teacher productivity. It is full of rich features that are unknown to many of us. Join us for a fast-paced look at tips and tricks that will help you become even more productive. From keyboard shortcuts to navigation, formatting tips, and productivity assists, tap into the power of GSuite to provide rich instructional supports for your classroom. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels. As a result of this session teachers will: 1. Look at G suite tips and features that support creativity, communication, and collaboration; 2. Learn keyboard shortcuts to increase productivity in G Suite; and 3. Understand productivity workflows that facilitate instruction.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. Make the most of Google Forms to support effective classroom instruction and increase student engagement. Powerful, simple, and loaded with options, Google Forms can be used to create exit tickets, surveys, quizzes, and rubrics as well as to collect data and communicate with students and parents. Google Forms is the go-to web-based form tool for teachers. It is completely free and allows for unlimited questions and responses, as well as logic branching. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels. As a result of this session teachers will: 1. Explore the features of Google Forms; 2. Learn ways to use Google Forms in the classroom; and 3. Plan for the use of Google Forms in the classroom.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. G Suite is a toolbox full of powerful creation instruments that, when infused effectively, engage students and deepen learning by supporting instructional objectives. This session will introduce a number of "doable" yet academically robust projects. Learn to use templates to maximize time spent on content vs. format and how to harness G Suite's power to design meaningful, authentic assessments where students perform real-world tasks that demonstrate application and understanding. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Explore ideas for projects using G Suite tools; 2. Learn to leverage templates for student projects; and 3. Learn to use G Suite to create authentic formative and summative assessments.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

Master five core principals of Internet safety through gameplay with Interland. Choose from four different lands to learn how to deal with phishers, hackers, over-sharers, and bullies. Interland is part of a larger Internet safety site from Google, Be Internet Awesome, reviewed here.

In the Classroom

Include Interland as part of any digital safety unit. Add a link to games on classroom computers for use as a center. Be sure to include a link on your class web page for students to play at home. Share this site with parents during Open House or Meet the Teacher sessions as a resource for teaching Internet safety at home. Have students or groups collect ideas and suggestions for staying safe on the web using Dotstorming, reviewed here. The Dotstorming application creates free online bulletin boards that can include comments and voting. Have students make a multimedia presentation sharing Internet safety advice using Genial.ly, reviewed here. Genial.ly allows you to add polls, videos, embeds, web links, PowerPoint, and PDFs.

Be Internet Awesome is a series of resources from Google to teach digital safety. Resources include Interland, reviewed here, an online interactive that offers users the opportunity to practice skills to combat phishers, hackers, and cyber bullies. The free curriculum, available for download, is best suited for grades 3-5; however, it is easily adaptable to other grade levels. Other features from the site include a teacher training course, an Internet safety poster, and certificates and badges for students. All features of this site align to ISTE Standards.

In the Classroom

Discover the many free resources for teaching digital safety offered on this site. Share a link on your class website for parents. Include the interactive game as part of a computer center during Internet safety lessons. Use the free lesson plan to teach digital safety either as a one-time unit or as mini-units throughout the school year. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts discussing digital safety information. Use a site such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here, to create the podcasts.

Clean up your online life with Just Delete Me. This site provides direct links to deleting your account at numerous sites such as Amazon, Facebook, or more. Search for a particular site or scroll through to find available links. Each link is color-coded to the degree of difficulty in deleting your account. Just click on any link and follow instructions to remove your account. Just Delete Me also provides a Chrome browser extension that takes you directly to the account deletion page when on an included site.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site to get rid of any site registrations required for various classroom uses. Just Delete Me would be an excellent site to use as you wrap up your school year and clean up unneccessary information from classroom computers. Share this site with older students as part of your discussion of online safety and proper Internet usage.

The Ultimate Parent's Guide to Internet Safety is a comprehensive infographic providing facts on the use of the Internet by children. Scroll through the page to learn about the use of mobile devices and the Internet beginning with kids as young as one-year-old. Continue down the page to learn about the most popular social media sites, the amount of time typically spent online by children, and typical use of the Internet by teens. Other information provides tips for knowing when teens are in trouble online due to cyberbullying or misuse of the Internet. This infographic is also available in PDF format or copy and paste the embed code to post on your web page.

In the Classroom

This site contains valuable information to share with parents and students. Include a link to the site on your class webpage and consider sharing during Open House events. Share with your school's guidance counselor. View this site with students on an interactive whiteboard. Ask them to use an online poster creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here, to share additional Internet safety tips and information. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create weekly or monthly podcasts sharing Internet safety tips. Use a tool such as podOmatic, reviewed here.

This editor's choice curated list of reviewed resources focuses on digital citizenship. Explore topics such as: protecting your digital footprint, protecting your identity, "netiquette," and much more. Find varying levels of information for different age groups and materials to help parents cooperate in educating their children about digital citizenship.

In the Classroom

Use this entire collection or simply select the best ones for YOUR students to continually model good digital citizenship. Share the links with parents and among your colleagues so you can promote positive action instead of fear about the Internet.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from January 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. Make the most of Google Forms to support effective classroom instruction and increase student engagement. Powerful, simple, and loaded with options, Google Forms can be used to create exit tickets, surveys, quizzes, and rubrics as well as to collect data and communicate with students and parents. Google Forms is the go-to web-based form tool for teachers. It is completely free and allows for unlimited questions and responses, as well as logic branching. Remember, it's OK2Ask '''®. As a result of this session teachers will: (1) Explore the features of Google Forms; (2) Learn 12 ways to use Google Forms in the classroom; and (3) Plan for the use of Google Forms in the classroom. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from January 2017, opens in Adobe Connect. To be successful in today's ever-changing global marketplace, both students and teachers must be skilled digital citizens. Even students and teachers who are comfortable using technology in a range of areas may not be using it appropriately or effectively. Learn Mike Ribble's nine elements of digital citizenship and how to incorporate them in the classroom. Understand where to find copyright-friendly resources and how to have engaging conversations with your students about this important topic. Discover places to find digital citizenship curriculum. Explore strategies, resources, and best practices for weaving these core workplace readiness skills into the core curriculum and throughout the day. Remember, it's OK2Ask'''®. As a result of this session teachers will: (1) Learn the nine elements of digital citizenship; (2) Discuss strategies for weaving digital citizenship skills into the curriculum; (3) Explore copyright-friendly resources; and (4) Begin creating a lesson plan for teaching one aspect of digital citizenship. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.